God’s desire has always been to have a family. When He created Adam and Eve, He wanted a family. When they sinned and severed their relationship with Him through spiritual death, He immediately revealed His plan to redeem them and bring them to reconciliation.
This plan was ordained before the foundation of the world, and was made manifest when Christ came to earth, and shed His blood to bring mankind back to God. Now the invitation is available to all who will hear and believe.
17) And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 18) knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19) but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 20) He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you…. 1 Peter1:17-20
12) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13) who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13
By believing on Jesus Christ and receiving Him as Lord, we are granted the right to become children of God and are adopted into the royal family of God as joint heirs with Jesus Christ.
God is now our Father through Christ’s redemptive death, burial, and resurrection on our behalf. This is beyond our comprehension and absolutely astonishing, but true.
15) For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." 16) The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17) and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. Romans 8:15-17
The Father so earnestly desired a family He gave His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, so we might become the children of God. Jesus came to earth to suffer in our place so we could be born-again and become heirs with Him in God’s glorious Kingdom.
He loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood (Revelation 1:5), and He is not ashamed to call us brethren (Hebrews 2:11-13). We are part of God’s eternal family! Hallelujah to God our Father!
The apostle Paul referenced the family of God when he wrote to the church at Ephesus.
14) For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15) from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, Ephesians 3:14-15
If you have received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are part of this amazing family. You are not an orphan, a vagabond, a stranger, an outcast, or a nonfit. You are royalty. You are a son or daughter of the Living God. You will live in His presence throughout the eternal ages to come (Psalms 23:6; Ephesians 2:6-7).
We now have the witness of God’s spirit that we are the children of God (Romans 8:16). He gives us His Spirit as a downpayment of our inheritance and the life to come.
11) In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12) that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
13) In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14) who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:11-14
As believers, we are part of an eternal family that goes beyond even our closest family relationships on earth. If you are struggling with your identify in Christ, begin to thank the Father for sending Jesus to redeem you and make you His child. Meditate on these and other passages in scripture to underscore the truth of your eternal salvation and adoption into the greatest family… the family of God.
I will leave you with two final passages from the book of Revelation. They reveal the Father’s eternal plan for us as His children.
1) Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.
2) Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3) And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be
their God.
4) And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."
5) Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful." 6) And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
7) He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. Revelation 21:1-7
1) And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2) In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3) And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. 4) They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 5)There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. Revelation 22:1-5
Allow God's word to minister hope, peace, and joy to your soul as you meditate upon your future together with Christ.
Until next time, may God our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ richly bless and keep you.
James Brown
CST 01/27/2025